


Transparent

by goodbyekillingharmony



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Emotional Baggage, Emotional Manipulation, Gaslighting, Gen, Heavy Angst, Not a ship fic, Persona 4 Spoilers, Trust Issues, adachi is an asshole, mega lul, once again i will emphasize this is not a ship fic, this is not a ship fic, this is sort of a prequel to the accomplice ending, yu falls for it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29353848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodbyekillingharmony/pseuds/goodbyekillingharmony
Summary: He was deep in thought, more like he forced himself to be. Yu pondered on who the person right outside the Dojima Residence could be. No way can it be the murderer, right? Though, with how persistent the mystery culprit was, that would probably be even less surprising. At least he knew it wouldn't be Namatame for sure this time. But, then-"Yu-kun! Are you in there?""A-Adachi-san?"
Relationships: Adachi Tohru & Narukami Yu, Adachi Tohru & Persona 4 Protagonist, Adachi Tohru & Seta Souji
Kudos: 14





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**Author's Note:**

> op uses the name yu narukami for the protagonist so yeah
> 
> tl;dr adachi is an ass who keeps feeding into yu's trust issues

He was surprised that he was able to stand, much less walk around and make dinner for himself. Not that Narukami had much of a choice, though. This was his first proper meal in days, as much as he hated to admit it. He couldn't bring himself to do much if anything after leaving the Hospital,  _ after leaving Nanako… _ A tang of guilt swelled through his body. If only they had taken the warning more seriously. What was up with it anyway? How did the culprit know?  _ Who even was--  _

He shook his head. This was no time to be thinking of that sort of thing, the mental fatigue is already getting too much to handle. The ever-lasting headache, the constant heart palpitations that made fighting shadows seem like child's play. All of this he kept to himself, of course. How well would a team function, knowing full well their leader is in such bad shape? Narukami felt sick at the mere thought of it. He can pull it together -- he has to.

He sighed, finally putting the chicken in the oven, though he barely was able to even do that. His hands were shaking violently, heart beginning to race. He caught himself before he completely fell face-first into the sink, tightening his grip on the countertop. He needed to relax, even if it was with something as trivial as breathing exercises. For a moment, it seemed to work though. He regained his composure.

...Right up until the doorbell rang, heart racing even more so now.

He was deep in thought, more like he forced himself to be. Yu pondered on who the person right outside the Dojima Residence could be.  _ No way can it be the murderer, right?  _ Though, with how persistent the mystery culprit was, that would probably be even less surprising. At least he knew it wouldn't be Namatame for sure this time. But, then-

"Yu-kun! Are you in there?"

"A-Adachi-san?"

The reply was immediate, figuring maybe he needed to reassure it to himself. But, there was no mistaking it. It was Adachi, alright. Matters were more complicated than ever, especially with how the detective seemed more and more suspicious by the day. It's something Yu kept to himself, something he would tell his friends at the right time, but it wasn't now. It was still the beginning of December, after all.

He composed himself and headed for the front door, cautiously opening it before Adachi went and simply barged in there himself. Narukami was caught off guard, his own face giving away his fears slightly, he could feel the sweat running down it. Well, no avoiding it now. Might as well get it over and done with.

"Ah. Sorry if I scared you. Dojima-san called me and told me to check up on you. I figured since you can take care of yourself just fine that you'd be okay, but he, uh… kinda insisted. Hard. A-Anyway, are you doing okay? ...Hey."

"What? I'm fine."

"Kid, I can clearly see you're not. You're really pale, even more than usual. ...Shit, is everything okay?"

Now, this was something he wasn't expecting from the man. It shook Narukami to his core. They both were pretty similar, keeping their thoughts mostly to themselves, but with Adachi… It was hard to tell with the guy. He couldn't help but feel something was off. And that was just during a normal conversation --  _ he's never seen him express such genuine concern before! _

And he fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. Yu let out a sigh, lip trembling a bit. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I know it's hard for you right now. Do you mind if I stay a bit longer? Dojima-san would kill me if he found out I left you like this."

Yu nodded, keeping his head down while he locked the door. A large part of his body was screaming at him, telling him to stop, to tell Adachi to fuck off, and to call the police station, but he couldn't. Even looking back to all the times they hung out, they never really talked about much, and yet Narukami felt hungover each and every word the detective said, taking every chance he could to go to Junes after school on the off-chance he would be there.

He never knew what was going on inside Adachi's head. Everything he told Yu seemed to be believable, but there was a nagging feeling in his heart that it was all layered in some form of dishonesty. Maybe that’s why he attached himself to him so strongly, even though he wasn't sure about that either.

When he turned around he saw Adachi sitting on the couch and gestured to him to come over and sit next to him. He held his head down, still, not wanting the detective to see him in his most vulnerable state. He sank his body in the couch, looking for the remote before he eventually found it, though Adachi quickly took it away from him.

"Come on, Yu. Seriously, what's up?"

"Nothing that should really bother you, Adachi-san."

"What?! No way! You're like the only person in Inaba who I can hold a conversation with."

"Maybe you should go find some other friends, then."

Yu would come to regret his choice of words fairly quickly. He wasn't sure why, but he felt as if the room had suddenly become several degrees colder, sweat running down his face. He turned his head to Adachi when the silence became suffocating, immediately wishing afterward he didn't.

His eyes seemed distant, eyebrows furrowed, and yet there was a smile on his face, a smile he had never seen before present on Adachi's face. It was a grin. Yu shifted his eyes toward his lap, gripping his knees as tight as he could. The playing field had changed, drastically.

_ He didn't know how, he didn't know why, but he felt like he was losing. _

"Harsh words, don't you think? Man, you're just not able to read a room, huh, Yu?"

"I-I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

"Yeah, it was. Here I am, trying to help you, and you say that crap."

"Sorry…"

"Come on, you don't have to be scared of me. I'm your friend, right?"

"Right."

"Aw, are you giving me the silent treatment? I must have really scared you then, huh. Fear's a good motivator, right?"

"What are you saying?"

"The bad cop is always the one who gets results. The good cop gets tossed to the wayside. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"I t-think so."

"You don't show it, but I think you would be the first one to crack during an interrogation. You look like you're holding in a lot. That’s why you should really consider my offer, let me help you."

"Adachi-san. I really do appreciate the concern, but I think I should be fine. I--"

"Are you really, though? C'mon, you're a bad liar. I've been able to tell from the very start. You have way too much baggage on you. Everyone's relying on you, but you just want some time for yourself. Don't feel guilty about it. I'm here with you, kid."

"...!"

Was… Was it really that obvious? Narukami bit his lip, digging his nails into his knees. If someone like Adachi had noticed it, does that mean that other people did too? More agitated than anything right now, he shifted his body away from the detective, putting on a forced scowl on his face.

He felt something on his shoulder again, something that pulled him closer. Adachi's grip was tight, making sure Yu couldn't move from the spot. Taking this chance, he leaned up against his ear, whispering into it.

"Don't run away like that, okay? It's alright, nothing to be ashamed of." Narukami could practically hear that shit-eating grin. He was right. No two ways about it. His heart was pounding out of his chest. 

"I'm sorry if it shocked you. You're a pretty open guy, all things considered."

Stop. Just stop.

"Poor thing. I really would have thought you'd have figured it out by now. Maybe you're not as good as you think you are in that regard."

Shut up.  _ Shut the fuck up. _

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. I know you can figure it out all on your own. It wouldn't really be that different from what you were doing."

" _ Adachi!" _

"Oh, wow. You sound pretty upset. I wouldn't be, honestly."

" _ Please, just leave already…" _

"Ever the polite one, huh? That's a quality you don't really see anymore, always looking out for other people! But, that's not the whole truth, is it?"

" _ Let go, Adachi!" _

" _ Aren't you glad someone finally gave a damn about you? Don't you feel relieved? That someone finally notices how you feel and how they're actually doing something about it?" _

_ "That's not true. That's not-- _ "

"Well, I need to get going now. I'll swing by sometime this week too.  _ Feels like we're going to be seeing each other a lot, huh? _ "

It was horrifying how quickly he was able to switch back to his normally goofy and carefree self. That seemingly innocent smile of his present on his face. Narukami's shoulder felt sore already, not even wanting to imagine how bad it'll feel in the morning.

He watched how Adachi shot him a quick smile before unlocking the door and leaving like it was absolutely nothing. But, before that, he shot a few words Yu's way.

"See ya later, Yu-kun! I'll tell Dojima-san that you're doing fine! Bye-bye now!"

He heard the door slam. He was still on the couch, trying to catch his breath. That didn't seem real. It was a nightmare. Adachi… he wasn't even hiding it. Did… Did he know? Could he see it, right from the very start? Could everyone else too? Why… Why weren't they telling him anything?

_ Why are they avoiding him like that…! _

Feeling tears well up in his ears, he saw something burning from the other side of the house. Crap. The chicken was long since charred by then. He carefully made his way over there, only to switch the oven off. He would throw it away later. All he wanted to do now was throw himself onto the futon and sleep.

He made his way to his room, picking up his phone. He opened it and saw a text. It was from Yosuke.

_ > "Hey man heading to Junes 2morrow w/ the others to discuss the culprit wanted 2 ask if u wanted to come ??" _

_ I'm sorry, Yosuke. _

> " _ Sorry, can't make it. I'm feeling pretty sick right now. Another time, yeah? If you come up with anything, be sure to let me know." _

_ > "Hey no worries man!! Take it easy!! I'll bring you something after I'm done with my shift !! see ya later, yu!" _

He quickly put down his phone, setting it on his desk. The guilt nagging on him even more now. He couldn't let the others know. They didn't need him at the moment, they could probably figure it out themselves. Yeah, especially with people like Naoto and Yukiko in the group, yeah.

He would just make them uncomfortable if he went now. Besides, he did feel a little sick after the encounter. Maybe it was good to take it easy for a  _ bit, for a while too…  _ He rolled out his futon, laying down in it, staring up at the ceiling, words echoing in his mind. He couldn't even take solace in his friends anymore, he would be up and about at this hour, frolicking around town with the others. Maybe it was time for him to adjust to a new routine.

_ "Aren't you glad someone finally gave a damn about you?" _

  
  
  
  



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